4 Cylinder towing mpg question

Afternoon, will be renting a 5x9 trailer from uhaul for a 300 mile trip round trip. Wondering how this will affect my MPG. Having not towed this long before. Have a 2019 SR utility with ARE MX topper.
majority of trip is I4 in Florida or for those that don’t know it is a Highway. Speeds up to 70 mph, yes I understand trailer should be 55 mph max for the tires. Attached photo for reference. Can rent trailer in my home town for $35.00 and drive it there and back or I can rent it down there for $75.00 and return it in my hometown. Would it be cheaper to drive it roundtrip vs one way with different in mpg? On way home will be trailering a 1960s wheelhorse garden tractor.

 

Cheaper to rent it in town I suspect

$40 pays for enough gas for 1 way trip

Also, nothing worse than not having what you need when you get there

 

You're talking about burning one tank of gas. Unless "300 mile trip round trip" means 300 miles out and 300 miles back. Then it's two tanks of gas.

This isn't really a thing. Do whatever is easiest.


[google tells me that the garden tractor weight is 600 lbs]

 

160 miles roughly each way.. so 320 miles roughly total. Trailer weighs 1300 lbs empty . Yes tractor roughly that weight. With a trailer such as this that rides below the truck height … and is open.. it’s more about weight of trailer and contents that affects mpg overall vs trailer size?

 

If you're driving an AUTO, tow in 4th, not Drive.

devils advocate. take the topper off and have a friend help you lift or push the mower into the bed strap it down save all the money, maybe spend the money on a pair of ramps at harbor freight?

 

So tow in 4th… what about ect on vs off?

 

If it will fit in the bed, it's what I'd do.

 

So if you normally get 18 mpg highway, then 160 miles eats 8.9 gallons.
If the trailer drops you to 12 mpg, then 160 miles eats 13.3 gallons.

So you might burn an extra 4.4 gallons, vs no trailer on the outbound leg. At $3.50/gal, that’s roughly an extra $15.

Cheaper to rent local and return local, and no worries of getting to your destination and the trailer isn’t there or has an issue.

Good luck with your project!

 

The weight of the trailer isn't what hurts the mileage so much as the wind drag from the vertical gate.

I have a double axle drive on trailer with a 24 foot overall length, that weighs 1500 pounds and a 5 X 12 single axle landscape/utility that weighs 990 pounds.

Running empty on the highway the smaller trailer cuts about 5 mpg, the drive on about 2.
If the day is windy you can really feel the drag from the gate and the mileage really tanks.

That said, I would haul the trailer from home just to guarantee you actually have a trailer to use.
Also if it is a larger garden tractor around 600 pounds I wouldn't want it in the bed personally.

What model WheelHorse are we going to fetch?
How about some pictures!

 

I recently towed with my old 2012, supercharged, 4cyl PreRunner a 2006 Ford Escape on a two wheel dolly from Denver to Jefferson City, Mo and averaged 14.5 mpg. That’s a total of about 5000 pounds, but as was said before it’s more about wind resistance and speed and not as much about weight. For comparison I also pull a camper that is 3000 pounds with 1000 more in gear, etc. That set up averages 10 mpg at the same speed. The truck, empty gets 19.5. Your small trailer isn’t going to reduce your gas mileage drastically.

 

Have you ever towed one of those super light trailers empty before? Not fun, would suuuccckk / annoy the shit out of you to drag one 300 miles. U-haul rates are a little whack, but some kind of crazy algorithm I recon.

$35 more to do the one-way rental? 110% that's what I would do. Suggest do the "Pick-Up" during business hours, that way if there is a problem, you can sway out units.

 

You won’t be saving $40, maybe $30 with fuel and an extra 1/2 hour driving 55 instead of 70 on the way there. Try driving 70 empty and it could cost you a lot more. I’d just as soon enjoy at least half the trip relatively stress free. Empty trailers suck, you think small cars get blown around? At least when it’s loaded it will track fairly well if you keep the speed reasonable.

 

Anyone saying those trailers are lightweight empty have never rented one. U-Haul trailers are stupid heavy

That trailer weighs 1240lbs, I have a 16’ flatbed dual axle trailer that only weighs 1700lbs

It will tow fine empty

 

I heard this about the two-wheel dolly being annoying when empty too and had planned to air down the tires for this reason. It was way more expensive oneway, so I brought the dolly all the way back, but it didn’t make nearly as much noise as I expected, so I left the air pressure up for the gas mileage.

 

I’d get the trailer near home and take it both ways. You’ll lose a few mpg but not enough to save the $$.

and if you’re going on I-4 likely top speed you’ll hit is <55 mph anyways.

good luck - those old wheel horse units are very good.

 

10 thumbs up, the wind drag is the killer vs weight of the trailer. Towing a car on a dolly I maybe burn an extra 1-2L/100kms depending on terrain. Weight around 5500lbs for car and dolly combined. Towing a camper that weights 1727Lbs but has a much larger surface area than my truck and my fuel mileage is cut in half and i'm lucky to get 200kms to the tank. 22L/100kms.

For your question though, I would personally just rent the trailer from home so that when you get there you're ready to rock and roll.

Aside from towing in a lower gear with ECT on, I would also make sure to check the U-haul tire pressures and maybe add 5 psi to the rear of your truck... I've rented many many U-hauls and i've never got one where the tire pressures were set. Closest I measured was 10psi off the spec. Not critical for you since you'll have a light load but at the least it'll track better.

 

Let's be realistic, you are not driving 70mph on I-4. You will be on your brakes more than the gas.

 

I tow a similar trailer with two quads in S4 with ECT on. At 60 mph I get 16 mpg. At 72mph I get 13mpg. The drive-on tailgate makes a great parachute.

 

1966 856 Wheelhorse. Going to look at it next week. Seller says it starts and runs everytime, but mower deck needs spindle and gauge wheels

 

Very cool!

If the following is accurate, it will fit in the bed with the tailgate down or removed.

https://www.tractordata.com/lawn-tractors/000/3/2/325-wheel-horse-856-dimensions.html